The Cafe Scientifique evening for July 2015 meeting of Basingstoke Cafe Scientifique at The Tea Bar will be led by your Cafe Scientifique organiser Bob Clifford. We will be following and discussing some TED.com talks on the subject of on-line learning and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).

Summary:

What is a MOOC? A massive open online course (MOOC) is a free study programme designed to be studied online by large numbers of students. In addition to the usual course materials such as video lectures, reading material, coursework and tests, MOOCs provide forums that help students and tutors build an online community. We will also consider how it would be possible to create offline study groups that meet to discuss and share knowledge gained from MOOCs rather like people do with book clubs.

One of the TED.com talks we will be looking at during the evening is by John Green titled "The nerds guide to learning everything online". Some of us learn best in the classroom, and some of us ... well, we don't. But we still love to learn, to find out new things about the world and challenge our minds. We just need to find the right place to do it, and the right community to learn with. In this charming talk, author John Green shares the world of learning he found in online video.

Venue: The Tea Bar doors will be open from around 6.00pm before the talk which starts at 7:30pm, so you can get yourself a drink and have a chat with other participants. We will aim to finish around 9:00pm as usual, though everyone will be welcome to stay around and have a chat with the speaker until around 10:00pm.

The format of the evening is usually a talk of 30 to 40 minutes, followed by a short break so the audience can refill their glasses and buy cakes before questions and discussions about the talk. Entry is free and open to everyone, but we do encourage you to buy a tea, coffee or drink (and cakes) at the bar to show your support for The Tea Bar who sponsor the meeting by providing the venue.

Cafe Scientifique is a place where, for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, anyone can come to explore and debate the latest ideas in science and technology.

Basingstoke Cafe Scientifique is a free Science Interest Group organised and sponsored by the Active Hampshire Social Club.